1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automotive vehicle body construction and more specifically to a tow device thereof which features increased structural strength and which serves to protect the lowermost components of the vehicle with accidental impact against the road surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known arrangement, a hook or the like has been welded or otherwise fixedly secured to an essentially horizontal vehicle underpanel at a location above the lowermost level of the vehicle bottom. This arrangement has suffered from a number of drawbacks, such as impaired accessibility and susceptibility to buckling or other deformation upon the application of an excessive load when a cable or similar device is connected to the hook.
In an effort to overcome these problems it has been hitherto proposed to increase the thickness and strength of the panel to which the hook is attached and/or to add a reinforcing member to the existing panel to locally reinforce same against the aforementioned buckling. While these measures have to some extent solved the problem, they have inherently added undesirable weight and cost to the vehicle.